Blue Anemones
by TumblingTroublesomeTumbleweeds
Summary: Jealous? Maybe a little...because HE knew her favorite flower and HE knew her favorite color...but after all, memories are in the past. Ukitake/OC previous ShinobuEishima/OC


"What do you see in him?" Lieutenant Jushiro Ukitake asked his best friend. Kushira Hikamara sighed and lay back, "well…" she thought, "he's kind, and funny, he's really sweet…he brought me a bouquet…of roses…" Jushiro frowned, "but you hate roses," Kushira laughed, "yes...but it's the thought that counts," he raised an eyebrow but said nothing. _He _knew her favorite flower…blue anemones.

"How much do you really know about him?" he asked. Kushira blinked, "I don't know…we don't talk often…" Jushiro raised his other eyebrow and Kushira narrowed her eyes, "_not _what I meant!" she said throwing a handful of grass at him. He laughed and she sighed, "we don't talk about personal things," he opened his mouth in a silent ah, unable to quench his amusement.

She sighed, "I guess…I guess I'm just attracted to him," she shrugged. Jushiro couldn't help the bitterness that welled in his heart. When she came bounding into his office beaming because the fourth seat of her division had asked her on a date, he had listened like a good best friend should do and he acted like he was happy for her like a good best friend should do. But that was all it was…an act. With every word she said about this Shinobu Eishima, he felt his heart crack a little more.

"He'd better be good to you," he remembered himself saying, "if not, he's going to have me and Shun targeting him," she had laughed, "no kidding!" she grinned and hugged him, "you really are the best friend I could ever have". With that, her green eyes lit up and she waved good-bye as she left his office to get ready for her date leaving him hiding behind a smiling façade.

"Shiro-kun?" Jushiro was pulled out of his memories by her soft voice, "are you okay? You're not feeling ill are you?" she was worried. He could tell by her voice and once again, he hid behind his smiling façade, "I'm fine…don't worry," Kushira smiled, "I'm glad," and he could tell she meant it which, for some reason, only hurt more.

"I wonder when he'll be back," she mused and Jushiro found himself squashing the jealousy that reared up. If she loved that Shinobu guy then he would stand by her and support their relationship even if it killed him inside. "I don't know…it was just a recon mission so I would assume it wouldn't take very long," Kushira nodded and gazed at the blue sky.

Jushiro studied her. He remembered when she introduced him to Eishima. He had shaken the man's hand and acted like the perfect best friend/brother even though he was trying not to think of ways to kill him and make it look like an accident. He was normally a gentle person and he knew he could never hurt the man standing in front of him.

He remembered another time. She was wearing a bracelet, a pink bunny rabbit on a silver chain. "That's an interesting bracelet," he had commented and she had blushed, "Shinobu gave it to me…" "but you hate pink…and I didn't think you wore bracelets" Kushira laughed, "but the bunny is cute…" Jushiro thought it looked like a pink blob but he was careful not to a comment. _He _knew her favorite color was red.

"Whatever happened to that rabbit bracelet?" he asked. Kushira looked sheepish, "well, it's kind of sitting in my jewelry box," she blinked, "it was sweet thought though," Jushiro hummed. Just like the roses. Did this guy really know nothing about her?

Jushiro sighed. She was too good for that guy. He was giving her roses and pink bunny necklaces that would look better on a little girl. Jushiro knew her favorite color was red and her favorite flower was blue anemones. He also knew that when she studied she chewed the end of her hair and that, even though she tried to hide it, she was terrified of thunder. He knew that in the fourth year of their Academy days, she stole tests from the kido teacher to help a first year who had difficulty controlling her abilities.

What did Shinobu know about her? He had given her roses, Jushiro knew she hated roses, and he had given her a pink bunny bracelet that was clearly immature. Jushiro knew she hated pink and that the only form of jewelry she would wear was a necklace. He also knew that Genryusai-sensei had given her the necklace when she entered the Academy.

An alarm sounded and Kushira looked up, "what's going on?" she wondered. "Let's go find out," Jushiro helped her up. She looped her arm through his, "maybe Kensei's group returned," she said happily.

Kushira was shocked as she realized what was happening. Kensei Muguruma and his group had gone missing! She and Lisa were eavesdropping on the meeting and as such, were both sent to go. Lisa on Shunsui's command and Kushira because she was the second seat of the ninth division.

Jushiro had worried about her. He always worried about her. When it was discovered that the group had been attacked and Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi had risked their lives and positions to save them, he stayed awake for weeks. When she returned, he had almost broken her bones in a hug. He knew she had changed though but to what extent he was unsure. Her reiatsu was different. Instead of the normal warm, golden glow it was, it had become choppy and more orange.

She cried that night. The night she found out the members of the ninth division had disappeared she had come to his room. "I don't know what I'm going to do if he's dead…" she sobbed into his shoulder. Jushiro wrapped his arm around her and held her tightly. When he had heard the news, a small part of him, one he hated to admit even existed, had been cheering at the fact that Shinobu was gone but one look at Kushira's tear-streaked face sent all those feelings packing.

Every now and then he still felt guilty for feeling like that.

"Shiro-kun!" Jushiro was snapped out of his memories. "Did you fall asleep?" he blinked and glanced around. He was sitting in his office. Kushira was across from him, a bowl of blue and red anemones she had been arranging sat in front of her. "Sorry…where were we?" she let out an amused sound, "paperwork," she stood up. Her captain's haori swishing around her shortened hakama. "You seem distracted," she walked over to him and sat down on his lap.

"What's bothering you captain-commander?" she wrapped her arms around his neck and he smiled down at her, taking her hand. Admiring the ring on her finger he kissed it, staring into the green eyes of the woman who, after all this time, was finally his. "Nothing at all." This time he really meant it.

"Nothing at all."


End file.
